editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Bill Chappell is a writer and producer who currently works on The Two Way, NPR's flagship news portal. In the past, he has edited and coordinated digital features for Morning Edition and Fresh Air , in addition to editing the rundown of All Things Considered. He frequently contributes to other NPR blogs, such as All Tech Considered and The Salt . Chappell's work at NPR has ranged from being the site's first full-time homepage editor to being the lead writer and editor on the London 2012 Olympics blog, The Torch . His assignments have included being the lead web producer for NPR's trip to Asia's Grand Trunk Road , as well as establishing the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps on NPR.org. In 2009, Chappell was a key editorial member of the small team that redesigned NPR's web site. One year later, the site won its first Peabody Award, along with the National Press Foundation's Excellence in Online Journalism award. At NPR, Chappell has trained both digital and radio staff to use digitalNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Bill ChappellTue, 15 Aug 2017 21:42:50 +0000Bill Chappellhttp://kgou.org
Bill ChappellScott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, is adding his name to the list of executives who have resigned from President Trump's manufacturing council, prompting new criticism from the president. "I'm resigning from the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative because it's the right thing for me to do," Paul wrote in a tweet Tuesday. Even before Paul posted about his resignation on Twitter, the president beat him to the tweet, writing some 15 minutes earlier, "For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!" By departing, Paul follows in the footsteps of three CEOs — Merck's Kenneth Frazier, Under Armour's Kevin Plank and Intel's Brian Krzanich — who resigned from the council on Monday following the president's heavily criticized handling of the deadly violence that erupted at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend. Frazier said in announcing hisTrump Cites 'Grandstanders' After Another Executive Leaves His Business Councilhttp://kgou.org/post/trump-cites-grandstanders-after-another-executive-leaves-his-business-council
102046 as http://kgou.orgTue, 15 Aug 2017 17:22:00 +0000Trump Cites 'Grandstanders' After Another Executive Leaves His Business CouncilBill ChappellPearce Tefft wrote a letter to members of his community in Fargo, N.D., to set the record straight about his family and the current state of his relationship to Peter Tefft, calling his son "an avowed white nationalist" who attended the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend. "I, along with all of his siblings and his entire family, wish to loudly repudiate my son's vile, hateful and racist rhetoric and actions," Tefft wrote in a letter to The Forum newspaper on Monday. "We do not know specifically where he learned these beliefs. He did not learn them at home." As for what Peter Tefft did learn at home, his father says he believes in equality and opened his house to "friends and acquaintances of every race, gender and creed." Peter Tefft's decision to "unlearn" what he was taught has brought heartbreak to the family, Pearce Tefft said. He added that he won't open his home to his son and that he is no longer welcome at any family gatherings. Urging theAfter Son Is ID'd At Supremacist Rally, His Father Responds Publiclyhttp://kgou.org/post/after-son-idd-supremacist-rally-his-father-responds-publicly
102041 as http://kgou.orgTue, 15 Aug 2017 14:21:00 +0000After Son Is ID'd At Supremacist Rally, His Father Responds PubliclyBill ChappellNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un reviewed his military's plans to rain "an enveloping fire" around the U.S. territory of Guam — but opted not to fire missiles at this time, according to state media. Despite the stand-down, some Guamanians were alarmed after two radio stations aired an erroneous emergency alert Tuesday. Kim visited the Korean People's Army as the self-imposed mid-August deadline for a missile demonstration approached, the Korean Central News Agency reports. But after hearing the plan and considering it, Kim opted not to give the order to launch missiles, and instead "would watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees," the report says. Kim also warned that the U.S. should not test North Korea's self-restraint. On Guam, the territory's Homeland Security office says two radio stations aired "an unscheduled test of the Emergency Alert Broadcast System" shortly after midnight, which "residents and visitors may have noticed." The announcement — that theNorth Korea Says It Won't Fire Missiles At Guam After Allhttp://kgou.org/post/north-korea-says-it-wont-fire-missiles-guam-after-all
102039 as http://kgou.orgTue, 15 Aug 2017 11:27:00 +0000North Korea Says It Won't Fire Missiles At Guam After AllBill ChappellAfter soaring to $4,000 on exchange markets over the weekend, the bitcoin cryptocurrency is continuing to rise, topping a record $4,300 on Monday — nearly $1,000 above its rate one week ago, according to data from the Coinbase currency exchange . Bitcoin settled back under the $4,300 mark after reaching a new high Monday morning, according to several exchanges that track the decentralized currency. "The bitcoin market cap soared past $70 billion," says CryptoCoins News , adding that a "flippening" that has been anticipated for years in the cryptocurrency community had finally come to pass, as "bitcoin now has a greater total valuation than payment-processing behemoth PayPal." A bitcoin could be bought for around $570 just 12 months ago — reflecting a rise of around 645 percent to today's exchange rate. Reporting on the rise, the Coindesk site says the market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies reached a record $138 billion on Monday. The steep ascent can be attributed to a number ofBitcoin Streaks To $4,300 Mark, Continuing Meteoric Risehttp://kgou.org/post/bitcoin-streaks-4300-mark-continuing-meteoric-rise
101983 as http://kgou.orgMon, 14 Aug 2017 16:54:00 +0000Bitcoin Streaks To $4,300 Mark, Continuing Meteoric RiseBill ChappellUpdated at 2:30 a.m. ET Tuesday By the end of the day on Monday, three CEOs had announced they were leaving President Trump's American Manufacturing Council. Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier was the first to announce his resignation followed by Under Armour's Kevin Plank and Intel's Brian Krzanich. The resignations came after Trump was criticized for his response to the violence at white supremacist events in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend. The president, famous for his ability to be direct and forceful, was faulted for condemning violence "on many sides." Frazier announced early in the day that he was leaving Trump's advisory council, saying, "I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism." Within an hour of Merck announcing Frazier's withdrawal, Trump retorted on Twitter , "Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned ... he will have more time to lower ripoff drug prices!" In a statement on his resignation, Frazier said , "America's leaders mustCEOs Of Merck, Under Armour And Intel Resign From Trump's Business Council http://kgou.org/post/merck-ceo-resigns-trump-business-council-citing-his-conscience
101966 as http://kgou.orgMon, 14 Aug 2017 14:22:00 +0000CEOs Of Merck, Under Armour And Intel Resign From Trump's Business Council Bill ChappellUpdated at 2:30 p.m. ET After a purported hack and a 24-hour deadline to relocate its Web domain, the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website that promoted the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., moved its site to Google before its registration there was also refused. "We are cancelling Daily Stormer's registration with Google Domains for violating our terms of service," a Google spokesperson told NPR on Monday. Shortly after we received that message, the Daily Stormer site began to go offline at least intermittently, displaying the message, "We're having an outage. it'll be a minute." The moves come after GoDaddy cut ties with the Daily Stormer late Sunday. The Web hosting service had received calls to ban the site over its hate-filled stories — particularly an article mocking Heather Heyer, 32, an anti-white nationalist protester who was killed in Charlottesville, Va., this weekend. After posting an article that claimed the site had been hacked — and that it was under threatNeo-Nazi Site Daily Stormer Is Banned By Google After Attempted Move From GoDaddyhttp://kgou.org/post/white-supremacist-site-banned-godaddy-after-virginia-rally
101963 as http://kgou.orgMon, 14 Aug 2017 12:36:00 +0000Neo-Nazi Site Daily Stormer Is Banned By Google After Attempted Move From GoDaddyBill ChappellSiding with surfers and other backers of the public's access to beaches, a California appeals court is ordering a Silicon Valley billionaire to reopen public access to Martins Beach near Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. Vinod Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems who has invested in renewable energy, closed the beach to the public in 2009, prompting a legal challenge from the Surfrider Foundation that brought a ruling against Khosla back in 2014. On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected Khosla's appeal. "This is not simply a win for surfers in San Mateo County," said Surfrider Legal Director Angela Howe. "This is a win for all of the beachgoing public that wish to enjoy California's beautiful 1,100-mile coastline." The court ruled that two companies Khosla created to manage the beach property had erred by not obtaining a coastal development permit before closing the coast to the public. As member station KQED reports , "The state's CoastalCalifornia Court Orders Venture Capitalist To Reopen Disputed Beachhttp://kgou.org/post/california-court-orders-venture-capitalist-reopen-disputed-beach
101830 as http://kgou.orgFri, 11 Aug 2017 17:54:00 +0000California Court Orders Venture Capitalist To Reopen Disputed BeachBill ChappellUpdated at 6:50 p.m. ET "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely," President Trump said on Friday, in his latest salvo in the exchange of rhetoric with the isolated regime. Trump added , "Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!" The statement, made via Twitter, comes one day after Trump wondered whether he had been stern enough in talking about North Korea earlier this week, when he promised to meet Pyongyang's threats with "fire and fury." In response to that fire and fury threat, North Korea said its military is preparing to conduct a test firing of four missiles that would fly over Japan and land in waters near the U.S. territory of Guam. The plan could be enacted by mid-August, the Korean Central News Agency said. Hours after Trump tweeted his locked and loaded comment on Friday, he retweeted a U.S. Pacific Command message stating that its B-1B Lancer bombers on Guam "stand ready" to carry out a mission "if called upon toTrump Says U.S. Military Is 'Locked And Loaded' To Deal With North Koreahttp://kgou.org/post/trump-says-us-military-locked-and-loaded-deal-north-korea
101817 as http://kgou.orgFri, 11 Aug 2017 14:18:00 +0000Trump Says U.S. Military Is 'Locked And Loaded' To Deal With North KoreaBill ChappellFor about eight minutes on Thursday, Hailiang Education Group outshone Apple, Alphabet and other titans, with a market capitalization that streaked past $5 trillion. But then a market error was corrected that had priced Hailiang's stock at a staggering $200,000, rather than around $10. With 25.7 million shares outstanding, Hailiang could briefly claim a market capitalization of $5.14 trillion — making the company that operates eight private schools worth far more than Apple's $802 billion market capitalization. The stratospheric rise in the price for Hailiang's American deposit shares began at 9:35, according to Nasdaq data . It persisted there (actually, at 199,999.99) for several minutes, with 700 shares even selling at that price, according to market data. "It was a clearly erroneous trade and was canceled," a Nasdaq representative tells NPR. The exchange says it considers a sale to be an "outlier transaction" — and subject to cancellation — if a security sells for more than threeError Briefly Makes Chinese Education Firm World's Most Valuable Companyhttp://kgou.org/post/error-briefly-makes-chinese-education-firm-worlds-most-valuable-company
101814 as http://kgou.orgFri, 11 Aug 2017 13:01:00 +0000Error Briefly Makes Chinese Education Firm World's Most Valuable CompanyBill ChappellPromising online shows that run from comedy and reality to live sports, Facebook says its new Watch platform will let creators connect with their audiences — and earn money in the process. The social media giant's plan calls for using ads to monetize video. With nearly 2 billion users, Facebook could further disrupt an online video space that's seeing media companies such as HBO offer their content directly to viewers. While many of those companies rely on a subscriber model for revenue, Watch would compete more directly with other social networks, such as YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat, in offering an ad-based service. Disclosure: Facebook pays NPR and other leading news organizations to produce live video streams that run on the site. Rather than being organized by place or profile pages on Facebook, the new content on Watch would be created under a show page — a move that could unite the processes of watching and commenting on TV and other video. "We think creating a show has aFacebook Watch Is Company's New Plan For Online Videohttp://kgou.org/post/facebook-watch-companys-new-plan-online-video
101745 as http://kgou.orgThu, 10 Aug 2017 17:48:00 +0000Facebook Watch Is Company's New Plan For Online VideoBill ChappellThe first hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season made landfall in eastern Mexico and should break up by late Thursday or Friday, forecasters say — but the storm, Franklin, still poses grave danger, with the possibility of more than a foot of rain in isolated areas. "These rains are capable of producing life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the National Hurricane Center says in an advisory about the storm Thursday morning. Franklin came ashore in the Mexican state of Veracruz as a category one hurricane, with the center arriving near the town of Lechuguillas around midnight CT. Mexico City, some 200 west of Lechuguillas, is within the diminishing storm's possible path. Forecasters say Franklin, which landed east and slightly north of the city, will likely continue to move "a little south of west near 15 mph." Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has warned residents of the states of Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo to take extra precautions and follow instructions fromFranklin Downgraded To Tropical Storm As It Moves Across Mexicohttp://kgou.org/post/franklin-downgraded-tropical-storm-it-moves-across-mexico
101736 as http://kgou.orgThu, 10 Aug 2017 11:33:00 +0000Franklin Downgraded To Tropical Storm As It Moves Across MexicoBill Chappell"Qatar is now visa-free for over 80 countries around the world," says Group Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker of state-owned Qatar Airways, as the small nation announced that it will issue waivers rather than visas — and won't be charging for the service. The change, which is effective immediately , means that people from the U.S. and other countries are now able to enter Qatar "with no paperwork, no payment and no visas," Baker said. Visitors from 33 countries would be able to stay for up to 90 days. The U.S. is not on that most-favored-nation list; instead, it's among the 47 other countries, such as Russia and China, whose citizens can stay in Qatar without a visa for up to 30 days. Rather than applying for a visa beforehand, citizens of those 80 nations can obtain a visa waiver after arriving in Qatar. Officials from Qatar's tourism and interior ministries who announced the loosening of immigration rules on Wednesday said the move makes Qatar "the most open country in theQatar Ends Visa Requirements For 80 Nations, Calling Itself 'Most Open' In Regionhttp://kgou.org/post/qatar-ends-visa-requirements-80-nations-calling-itself-most-open-region
101683 as http://kgou.orgWed, 09 Aug 2017 18:23:00 +0000Qatar Ends Visa Requirements For 80 Nations, Calling Itself 'Most Open' In RegionBill ChappellFBI agents raided former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort 's home, a spokesman for Manafort tells NPR's Tamara Keith. Manafort's name has come up as part of the U.S. investigation into Russia's attempt to meddle with last year's election. The raid reportedly took place in late July, one month after Manafort registered as a foreign agent. News of the raid in Alexandria, Va., was first reported by The Washington Post . A spokesman for Manafort, Jason Maloni, tells NPR: "FBI agents executed a search warrant at one of Mr. Manafort's residences. Mr. Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well." The Post reports : "Federal agents appeared at Paul Manafort's home without advance warning in the predawn hours of July 26, the day after he met voluntarily with the staff for the Senate Intelligence Committee. "The search warrant was wide-ranging and FBI agents working with special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIFBI Agents Conducted A Raid On Paul Manafort's Residencehttp://kgou.org/post/fbi-agents-conducted-raid-paul-manaforts-residence
101672 as http://kgou.orgWed, 09 Aug 2017 14:44:00 +0000FBI Agents Conducted A Raid On Paul Manafort's ResidenceBill ChappellUpdated at 1 p.m. ET As the leaders of two nuclear-armed countries trade threats, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says President Trump "is sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong Un would understand, because he doesn't seem to understand diplomatic language." The language has been increasingly fiery. After Trump said Tuesday that if North Korea continues to threaten the U.S., it would "be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen," the North Korean regime responded by saying it's considering a missile strike on the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. Trump's remarks were criticized by fellow Republican Sen. John McCain, who told an Arizona radio station , "I don't know what he's saying, and I've long ago given up trying to interpret what he says." "That kind of rhetoric, I'm not sure that helps," McCain said, adding later, "The great leaders I've seen, they don't threaten unless they are ready to act. And I'm not sure that President Trump is readyTillerson: Trump Is Using Language Kim Jong Un Can Understandhttp://kgou.org/post/tillerson-trump-using-language-kim-jong-un-can-understand
101667 as http://kgou.orgWed, 09 Aug 2017 12:34:00 +0000Tillerson: Trump Is Using Language Kim Jong Un Can UnderstandBill ChappellFrench police used gunfire to "neutralize" a man who is believed to have used a car to ram into a group of soldiers on patrol in a Paris suburb early Wednesday — an attack that injured six people. The suspect is now in the hospital, local media report. After an intense search, officers intercepted the car on the A16 highway that runs from the outskirts of Paris north to Calais, the National Police says . The officers who confronted him are part of the special Research and Intervention Brigade, or BRI, which takes on serious crime in France. Confronted more than 160 miles from the scene of the initial attack, the suspect tried once more to escape, hit a police car and was shot five times, according to BFM TV . The station adds that the man was born in 1980, and that other details have not been released. After the arrest was confirmed, the first deputy mayor of Levallois-Perret, Isabelle Balkany, tweeted "Bravo to the police forces!" Of the attack Wednesday morning, officials said theFrench Police Arrest Suspect After Car Is Used To Injure 6 Soldiers Near Parishttp://kgou.org/post/paris-police-hunt-car-used-attack-and-injure-6-soldiers-patrol
101664 as http://kgou.orgWed, 09 Aug 2017 11:10:00 +0000French Police Arrest Suspect After Car Is Used To Injure 6 Soldiers Near ParisBill ChappellTwo agencies in the Transportation Department are ending their push for a rule that would have required truck drivers and train operators to be tested for obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that's been linked to preventable accidents. The agencies — the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration — have withdrawn a proposed rule they published in March of 2016, when they wrote that when it goes undiagnosed or inadequately treated, obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, "can cause unintended sleep episodes and resulting deficits in attention, concentration, situational awareness, and memory, thus reducing the capacity to safely respond to hazards when performing safety sensitive duties." While calling OSA "an on-going concern," the regulators said the issue can be addressed through existing safety programs and rules. According to the Associated Press , "The agencies argue that it should be up to railroads and trucking companies to decide whether toRegulators Pull Plan To Test Truckers, Train Operators For Sleep Apneahttp://kgou.org/post/regulators-pull-plan-test-truckers-train-operators-apnea
101609 as http://kgou.orgTue, 08 Aug 2017 17:59:00 +0000Regulators Pull Plan To Test Truckers, Train Operators For Sleep ApneaBill Chappellhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3FYl3Eckbw Updated at 12:44 p.m. ET South African President Jacob Zuma survived the sixth push for a vote of no confidence Tuesday — and for the first time, the vote was held by secret ballot. The embattled Zuma's African National Congress party, which controls Parliament, overcame speculation that a secret vote might prove to be his undoing. The final vote was 198 to 177, with nine abstentions. The motion of no confidence would have needed 201 votes to remove Zuma from office. Debate over the measure began at 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) Tuesday, in a session that was also streamed online . Outside Parliament, protesters gathered to await word of the results. After roughly two hours of spirited debate, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete asked for a voice vote. After a chorus of shouts responded to each call for votes in favor and against, she pronounced, "I think the 'no's' have it." But at that point, a call came to hold the vote by secret ballotZuma Survives (Another) No-Confidence Vote In South Africa's Parliamenthttp://kgou.org/post/zuma-faces-another-no-confidence-vote-south-africas-parliament
101601 as http://kgou.orgTue, 08 Aug 2017 13:55:00 +0000Zuma Survives (Another) No-Confidence Vote In South Africa's ParliamentBill ChappellSame-sex marriage will be legal in Australia by Christmas, the country's attorney general says. But the question is, how will that happen? The push for a plebiscite has stalled in the Senate, forcing the government to plan for a potential postal vote on the issue. From Australia's ABC : "It would cost $122 million and instead of being run by the Electoral Commission, it would be conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). "Voters would begin receiving ballots on September 12, ahead of a count on November 7, but voting would not be compulsory." Attorney-General George Brandis tells the network, "My prediction, and it's only a prediction, is that in the plebiscite, whichever of the two forms it takes, more people will vote yes than no." The postal vote emerged as a possible solution this week, after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's call for a plebiscite failed to move his political opponents in the Senate. On Tuesday, Turnbull reiterated his Liberal Party's position that noAustralia Plans A Postal Vote On Same-Sex Marriage, If Plebiscite Failshttp://kgou.org/post/australia-plans-postal-vote-same-sex-marriage-if-plebiscite-fails
101594 as http://kgou.orgTue, 08 Aug 2017 11:55:00 +0000Australia Plans A Postal Vote On Same-Sex Marriage, If Plebiscite FailsBill Chappell"Who would have thought one little chalkboard would cause such a stir?" That's the question asked by the proprietor of Handsome Her, a vegan cafe that gives priority seating to women — and gives men a chance to pay an 18 percent premium, citing a gender pay gap. First, the details: Handsome Her opened for business on Friday in Brunswick, Australia, a suburb north of Melbourne. The "man tax" is optional, says cafe owner Alexandra O'Brien, and proceeds go to charity (benefiting Aboriginal women's services, according to Australia's ABC ). The tax would also only be promoted for one week each month. Despite a spirited discussion on social media (sample: "If it was the other way around there would be riots in the streets!!!"), the shop reports positive reactions from customers. "We've had men travel across town to visit us and pay 'the man tax' and throw some extra in the donation jar - guys, you're pretty neat," O'Brien wrote on the cafe's Facebook page Sunday. The proposal made a splashMan Tax? It's An Option, Says Owner Of Cafe That Is 'By Women, For Women'http://kgou.org/post/man-tax-its-option-says-owner-cafe-women-women
101542 as http://kgou.orgMon, 07 Aug 2017 18:11:00 +0000Man Tax? It's An Option, Says Owner Of Cafe That Is 'By Women, For Women'Bill ChappellUpdated 11:30 p.m. ET A senior software engineer reportedly has been fired by Google after a memo he wrote criticizing diversity initiatives was leaked and sparked protests on social media. The 3,300-word document that has been shared across Google's internal networks says "biological causes" are part of the reason women aren't represented equally in its tech departments and leadership. The senior engineer also cited "men's higher drive for status." Another software engineer who used to work for Google, Kelly Ellis, says some women who still work at the company stayed home Monday because the memo made them "uncomfortable going back to work." Now, Bloomberg and Reuters report the memo was written by James Damore and Google has fired him for "perpetuating gender stereotypes." The news services say Damore confirmed the dismissal by email. The memo that some have jokingly called a "manifesto" has been shared across Google's internal networks and says "biological causes" are part of theGoogle Reportedly Fires Employee Who Slammed Diversity Effortshttp://kgou.org/post/google-grapples-fallout-after-employee-slams-diversity-efforts
101535 as http://kgou.orgMon, 07 Aug 2017 15:42:00 +0000Google Reportedly Fires Employee Who Slammed Diversity Efforts